The Last Storm Queen
by stormkings
Summary: Jaime never paid much attention to prophecies and the ramblings of mad men. It wasn't until the predictions that Cersei believed were true that he began to take heed of the ramblings of the Mad King at the birth of Aegon V. The granddaughter of Steffon Baratheon would be the last storm queen…
1. Chapter 1

It had seemed that all of the moments from the last few years were converging at this point. All of her sins, all of her treacheries, all of hopes and desires.

This was the moment that she prayed for and at the same time prayed to never come.

She didn't know how they were going to be received. She tried to think about how she would react if she were a Queen and this was presented to her. There were a number of plausible outcomes. They ranged from death and lifelong torture to opened arms.

The stories that she had to share were varied in their believability; she had hoped that what little evidence she had was enough as it was likely that her word would count for much.

She told herself that she would not lie. She had become far too good at spinning and extending the truth, its what happens when you are exposed to such behaviour from such a young age. She had to learn well and learn quickly if she was to survive her stepmother and her new house, if she was to save her boys from the perils of Westeros and the Iron Throne.

She waited for her guard to remove their weapons, it was as if the activity was taking longer than necessary. Her trusted Monteyrs, head of her guard was the first to object to his men removing their weapons. He was wise, he knew that they may never walk out of the hall beyond the large ordinate doors before them, but his loyalty to his lady that he had protected from the time she arrived in the Stormlands, from the time she arrived in this world drove him to follow.

"My lady, we only have ten men in our company, I hope you do not expect us to be very effective to protect you and the children with no weaponry. It isn't safe, you need to reconsider." Monteyrs stood before her. He was the only member of the guard still armed.

"My dear Monteyrs, we have discussed this. We need to do all that we can to win the Khaleesi's favour. We pose no threat to her and pray to the Old Gods and the new that she is no threat to us. Disarm." She tightened her jaw and looked at the man fiercely.

He smirked at her with his twisted smile. It was times like this she reminded him of her father in her little act that she had done for as long as she could remember. Staunch and confident in her gamble, something her uncle often reprimanded her for. He would often call her un-calculating and rash like all of his young soldiers, but she took no meaning from his words. She needed to be confident enough for the both of them, for all of their sakes.

"Khalessi will see you now."

The entered the large throne room, the furnishings weren't nearly as ornate as the doors but it still held the same wealth as the rest of the manor, of course the treated their own households as such.

Monterys walked close by her side. She could feel his discomfort, without his broadsword he was naked. The rest of her men followed closely behind but as the face of Daenerys Targaryen came closer into view she signalled for her men to stop approaching as she and Monterys continued forward.

As she and Monterys reached the base of the stairs to the throne she knelt and bowed her head low. The majority of her hair and face were covered, nothing but a thin silk wrap concealing her.

"Rise."

"Remove your covering."

She did as she asked. She had not come to cause trouble, although she knew she inevitably would.

"Who are you and why have you requested my audience?"

The girl before was small in stature, her frame was much smaller than her own but she held such grace, only the grace and dominance gifted to a leader.

"Khaleesi, your grace, none of the names I have will please you but before I continue I must be clear that I am more than a name that I was born with or that I was a granted in a Sept. I am Lady Vesara Lannister, of House Baratheon, first born of the Usurper Robert Baratheon and Princess Mariah Martell."

She sustained eye contact with Daenerys. Her face had not moved an inch as Vesara spoke but her shoulders had become tense, as she had said her name.

"I should have your head on a pike outside the city just for having the audacity to request an audience with me. Are you a fool girl?"

"No your grace, I am merely a girl born and married into the wrong families, families of great treachery and dishonour, one that I am forced to bear the burden of, one that I wish to make right."

"Make right? You really are a fool. What does the daughter of a usurper have that could possible make things right?"

"I have a gift for you Khaleesi, it is very little but perhaps very useful. I come before you, as a humble servant of the realm, in the hopes that the Gods will have mercy on the people of Westeros who have become engulfed in a war that belongs to few. Do what you will with what I provide."

Daenerys turned to the man to her left and whispered something. He had his eyes locked on Vesara the entire time she had been in the room, his eyes greeting her with a smouldering look.

"Ser Jorah will take you to my quarters, your men will remain here."

"I have a request my Queen." Daenerys raised a brow at her.

"Oh, you have a request do you? Very well."

"I wish for one of my men to accompany me. He has something of interest for you." Vesara nodded towards Tallon, one of her finest men and personal guard to the children.

One of the other guards made his way towards the man and inspected the contents he had with him in the chart. He was confused as he peered inside but gave a nod of approval to his Queen.

As Daenerys entered the room she heard muffled gurgles coming from the small cart that Vesara's guard had brought with her.

Vesara hovered over it. Her face calmer and softer than Daenerys had seen all morning. It made her relax a little, probably more than she should.

"For what reason does the daughter of the man who destroyed my kingdom and my family come before me? Every reason that springs to mind makes me think that you are a mad woman with wish to meet the Gods early." She hissed.

Daenerys opened the balcony window and spoke out towards the skies. Vesara was relived that the Targaryen girl did not receive her as a threat. Hopefully it would make things easier.

"Some days it seems that meeting the Gods early would be a blessing, but this is not about me, this is about my people, about my kin, about every man, woman and child that resides in Westeros. The lords are destroying each other in desperate attempts to gain power, territories and the favours of higher lords and false Kings, meanwhile the common people become enthralled in their quarrels. Westeros is being to crumble your grace."

"It's all very well that you express concern for the people of Westeros as your kind go about destroying, but I fail to understand what it is that you want from me."

Vesara removed the cover of the cart and revealed a grey bundle that had been residing in the cart.

Daenerys was confused now. This girl truly was a fool; she may have just brought that baby to its death. Not that Daenerys was one for the slaughter of innocent children.

Vesara paced the room and soothed the child as it began to awaken from its slumber. Daenerys felt a pang of jealousy. It was times like this that she had truly realised what she was missing without Rhaego.

"You see, upon the death of my father I fled. King's Landing is a disgusting place at the best of times, drowning in secrets, debauchery and slaughter. My lord husband is off fighting a war, like the glory, repentance seeking creature that he is. My men and the men he had gifted to me were barely enough to get me out of the city safely and we nearly didn't."

Daenerys listened intently. She was curious as to where this story was going; she did not pity or feel sorry for the girl in any way. This sort of thing happened regularly, it was all a part of the game.

"I have never felt a heat so intense, a flame so bright and so strangely coloured. They hit Stormborn _,_ the ship at the rear first and I knew mine was next. I could hear the screams of my men, as they were burnt alive, of the men that I had grown up with, my friends. The next one nicked the stern of our boat and the flames spread so quickly with nowhere to move."

She saw the sadness in Tallon's eyes. He had seen very few wars before and what happened that night was something he had never imagined in his worst nightmares.

He came to her side a gently clasped her shoulder before taking the bundle from her arms.

She began removing her cloak and outer layers.

"I held a babe in each arm, both had come squalling into the world no longer than a moon prior."

She unhooked the clasp on her left shoulder and the entire dress pooled at her feet. The soft fabric that once shielded her now left her exposed to Daenerys.

Daenerys was taken aback by the girl's actions. Her body was beautifully worn, as a woman's should be. The soft swell of her womb remained, giving evidence that it had recently housed a babe. Her breasts were full and swollen, bursting at the teat. All of this did not detract from the ghastly condition of her skin.

The burn spread from her left shoulder, across her upper arm and onto the left side of her torso under her breast with another burn on the outer of her left thigh.

She dressed herself swiftly once she was certain that Daenerys had taken in her appearance. She knew that being in this state made Tallon uncomfortable.

Her arms were outstretched as she begged for the bundle in Tallon's arms.

She gestured to Daenerys hoping that she would be able to come closer so that she may see the boy in her arms.

"Torrhen was in my left arm. He suffered no burns, he did not even scream or make any noise as the flames engulfed my left side. From the silence, I thought he was dead. I sobbed uncontrollably, drowning out the cries of Durrandon in my right arm until we were safe on Durran's Defiance."

The boy in Vesara's arms was peculiar, he was well-mannered and observant but it wasn't until they came into the light the Daenerys saw what was truly remarkable about him.

Beneath his tuft of black hair was an alarming set of violet eyes.

He gazed at her in wonder and she felt drawn to him as well.

"His eyes were not that colour before the flames came for us, I swear my lady. And when he did not burn, he remained settled in the chaos while the flames seared at the flesh of Durrandon."

A soft cry came from the cart.

Another.

Tallon removed a yellow bundle from the cart and rocked him gently. Daenerys was confused by the technique that the guard was using to hold the babe.

He was attempting not to touch the burnt leg of the babe.

"My Maester says that his leg will be fine, nothing more than a bit of damaged skin. We were lucky that he has survived as long as he has and as well as the voyage here."

"You bring me two babes, what am I to do with them. I'm sorry Lady Lannister but you must be frank with me for I do not have the patience to continue back and forth as such."

"I need you to take Torrhen, to take him as your own. I must return to Westeros, there is much work to be done and I cannot risk his safety, especially after this development."

"And why would I take the boy?"

"You are kin." She bluntly stated.

Daenerys stared at her for a moment. It had not occurred to her that he had not burnt because he was of the dragon. There had to be some other explanation for the boy to survive the flames.

"Kin? In what sense do you imply that we are kin?"

Her orbs stared into Daenerys before she looked down nervously. This was the first time that Daenerys had seen her hesitate in some way.

"I was not pure at the time of my marriage to Jaime Lannister. Fortunately the fool did not know otherwise. I had prayed that he would accept my request. I was young and foolish to assume that just because a man had taken my virtue that he would leave Westeros with me and that we could live our lives far from the treachery that I had grown up surrounded by. But he refused me, so I returned to the role that I was assigned and was wed before the next moon. On the following moon I was with child."

"Torrhen's father was of no ordinary lineage and it was only upon my confession had a learnt that he was the sire of your brother."

"Lies." Daenerys spat.

"What reason would I have to lie your grace? To be a Targaryen in this time is not something someone in Westeros would gladly acknowledge. Had my father known before his death, he would have had no hesitation in killing his own grandson."

"And what am I to do with a boy that may or may not be the grandson of my brother?"

"Make him your heir, raise him as your own and see that he is not consumed by the menial wars of Westeros. Return to the shores when all of the false kings have destroyed one another and rise from the ashes with him at your side." Daenerys had tried not to think of what would happen to her line after her death her womb had been cursed, everyone knew it. She could have with this boy what was stolen from her with Rhaego.

Daenerys simply stated. "Torrhen Targaryen."

She had to admit; she did feel drawn to the boy. He gazed up at her and she couldn't help but feel that she was staring into the soul of Rhaegar and it was if he could see the dragon in her as well.

"If I am to take the boy what is to become of you and the other babe?"

"Durrandon is my responsibility and mine alone. In the night my guards plucked him from his mother's breasts before Cersei Lannister's spies could track him down. He is my brother and I would not have seen him slaughtered to satisfy the fear that he would grow to threaten Joffrey's crown. It is rumoured that eight of my bastard brothers and sisters have already met that fate; I would not see it happen again. He will be raised as my own and I will protect him in anyway that I am able."

Daenerys was slightly impressed by her ferocity. Perhaps some qualities of the dragon were apparent in her distant relation.

"And you will not return for the boy?"

"If I am to see the boy again it will be as you return to the realm and take your place on the Iron Throne."

x

He had been at her side from the time she was brought into this world, squalling and pink faced.

She had been a beauty in his eyes from the time that she had been put in his sights. He had seen her grow from a shy child, afraid of her stepmothers reprimand to a staunch and capable strategist with a unique beauty to match.

Most of her features resembled her mothers Dornish roots, from what he could remember anyway, her dark eyes and warm skin, but you could not mistake her paternal heritage for anything but Baratheon. After the Silent Sisters tended to her mother's body after the babe pulled her from the world of the living he remembered the odd joy of Robert.

It was sickening.

There was no question that Robert loved the babe, but his own desires would always come first. With his wife, Princess Mariah Martell, upon the dying request of his father now deceased, he was free to arrange a betrothal of his own choosing.

It was the beginning of the end.

Truth was, he loved the girl like his own. Her life was his life.

As she got older he had to watch her make risky decisions, most of which he disapproved and yet things seemed to work in her favour. He feared that they would not always.

Today he had seen something he would never have predicted from the girl, perhaps motherhood had softened her Baratheon pride. She gave her child to her father's sworn enemy in the hopes that his life would be spared and that he would be sheltered from the dangers of her world, the dangers that had shaped who she was.

He thought that her involvement with Jon Arryn's ridiculous plan was too risky and unnecessary. She claimed to never having wanted the Iron Throne, she never paid much mind to the successor either and yet as soon as an opportunity to play the game of thrones presented itself she was more than willing to participate.

Sometimes he questioned her denial of wanting the Iron Throne. She treated power as if it were a sin, and yet, a sin that they were all guilty of.

In truth, her marriage to Jaime Lannister aided her silent quest for power. She wed him on the premise that she needed to prove a point by removing him from the Capitol the sentiment was foolhardy. Jon Arryn's plan had taken a step too far in his books when it required that Vesara create evidence to prove his claims.

Vesara was willing to be a pawn in their games. Frankly, he didn't see what she got out of it. It wasn't that Vesara should act selfishly, more so that she didn't consider what failure to execute this plan would mean, or what its success would mean for her long term.

Jaime Lannister wasn't the worst husband that he could wish on his beloved Vesara but he certainly wasn't the preferred.

He had taken Vesara all over the seven kingdoms once she had flowered. She would have her pick of all of the eligible lords and their sons. He was certain that Robert would have her wed to Robb Stark or Loras Tyrell, but it seemed that he trusted the loyalty of the Stark's enough to withdraw the notion and clearly didn't require the wealth of the Reach when he could have the wealth of the Westerlands.

Robert was a fool.

It was far too easy for Jon Arryn to convince him to wed his eldest daughter to Jaime Lannister and it was even easier to persuade Tywin that a union between his son and Vesara would benefit both their houses. Tywin's heir would be freed from the Kingsguard life service and would become third in-line to the throne should he need to rule alongside the King's eldest daughter.

Jaime is no king.

Jaime was the least willing in this entire arrangement. He did not wish to be freed from his vows, he did not wish to wed the girl that had pained him for a majority of her life, having to heed her every beck and call, hearing of the Queen's complaints of the child and yet he found himself at the Sept with girl at fourteen years his junior.

Since Jaime had left the Capitol in an attempt to free his brother and aid his father's war efforts Vesara had barely mentioned his name. Sometimes he wondered if the girl had actually forgotten the true reason that she agreed to the union or if she had reignited her attachment to the lion.

How she frustrated him as a child.

Either wouldn't surprise him. Vesara wasn't the most goal-orientated person and when something was out of sight it added to her disinterest. With her father gone perhaps the goal of disproving her sibling's parentage was no longer of issue.

Although now things had changed, perhaps she had changed in ways that he didn't predict that she would. She was a Baratheon through and through. It often humoured him when he noticed the distinctive qualities of her father and his brothers apparent in her. Many of the people she spent her childhood around and shaped her character. He often wondered if she had taken any notes from him.

If anything she was exactly like Steffon, the man that waited for her arrival into the world with excitement and anticipation as he sailed East on the bequest of the King, the man that never got to meet his first grandchild. He was the last true Lord Paramount of the Stormlands, the great stag, Robert was merely his offcuts, something that people often forgot after Robert's Rebellion.

She was the last true stag.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Warning - there is a wee bit of smut to come in this chapter. Enjoy :)**

He rode hard and fast, nothing had given him more pleasure than to hear of Robert Baratheon's fading from life. The sadness of his wife did little to effect the delight he felt as Robert took his last breath. He had only wished that he had been the one to strike the final blow that would end the demon of the Trident, if only he would have been able to destroy Robert at his peak, Robert the warrior instead of the Robert that he had become, the Whoremonger King.

He felt no guilt for leaving his wife unattended, he was convinced Vesara paid him no mind, she did as she was required, nothing more and nothing less. She let him into her bed and played with her false niceties but they were both certain of their roles, as they had made clear early into their relationship.

He wasn't one for reminiscing but he couldn't forget the day she was brought to him, they day he never thought her would have as soon as he put on the white cloak.

He knew she wasn't like other girls who dreamt of their wedding, she had spent as much time as she could avoiding the prospect of marriage. Had Robert not rebelled she would have already been married; as soon as she had flowered she would have been wed just as she was betrothed at birth.

The castle grounds had been decorated in a flurry of gold, red and back hues and the people cheered as she approached the steps at the Great Sept of Baelor, the noise could not be blocked out by the large stone walls of the Sept.

Robert was at her side as she entered, her ornate gold and black clock with the Baratheon sigil carefully stitched on the back. The King's face was sour, as it had been since he had agreed to his daughter's marriage to the Kingslayer, it was never what he wanted, and to him it felt as if the Lannisters had won.

She had her head bowed as she approached, her ornate stag diadem restricting his view of her face, she had been pleasant as a child he merely hoped that she had remained so, more than anything he wished that she resembled her mother more so than Robert, he could not bear to fuck anything that reminded him of the King.

She bowed lower so that he could remove her Baratheon cloak and replace it with his own; she was to be under his protection now. "It seems I am to protect you as your husband just as I protected you as a knight as a child."

She looked up at him through long thick eyelashes and smiled softly. She was doing all that she could to play the blushing bride. Her face did not displease him, she certainly possessed Robert's dark features, the signature Baratheon look but her large pouty lips and doe eyes came from her mother, for that he was sure. She had grown into her lips, they were rather domineering as a child, but as she smiled less it seemed that they sat upon her much more pleasantly. She had light freckles dusted across her cheeks; they were almost invisible from a distance, disguised by her warm skin.

In that moment he wished that he were somewhere else. The little girl he had remembered fawned after him was having her dreams come true, marrying the knight that she had always said she would left him feeling empty. He knew he could not give her what she desired, his heart yearned for another and yet this girl would ache for him and he would leave her empty and trapped just like every other high-born girl forced into marriage.

Her father had sold her to the highest bidder.

His father had brought their family a tighter hold on the Iron Throne.

It seems they were the only two who truly lost in this arrangement.

"And now my daughter will see if Ser Jaime is in fact a lion in the sheets". He chuckled at his own bawdy pun. He pitted the girl when her father called for the bedding ceremony.

Before he knew it hands were dragging his body towards their chambers, he could barely make Vesara out in the crowd as he felt items of his clothing being torn from his body. They had barely made it to the corridor that housed their chambers before he grabbed a few of the wrists clutching at his naked chest. "Enough." He spat with enough fervour to cause the women to release him without objection.

He walked over to where his wife was being stripped and groped by lords and knights. "My lords, sers, you've had your fun. What's left is mine." Jaime had never needed to use much force, the fear of his name and sword was more than enough for men to flee.

He politely took Vesara's hand in his and escorted her the rest of the way to their chambers. He remembered how surprised he was at her composure.

"Why did you make them stop?" It was the first direct question she had asked since they had said their vows.

"They had their fun. I'm sure they got enough thrills to keep them going for the rest of their lives as the fuck their ugly wives and maimed husbands." She giggled lightly.

He turned to finish undressing himself and soon felt a soft hand on his muscular shoulder. He turned to face her as she slid undid the final clasp of her corset revealing her full body to him. He had forgotten what a young woman looked like, Cersei's body was perfect to him but it had become worn through the years and from her children.

Vesara was soft and firm in all the right places, she had a well rounded bottom and large breasts accompanied by a comfortable belly. He was shocked to find that he was nervous, never had he been with a woman that wasn't Cersei. In this moment he knew he could commit the ultimate act of betrayal to his sister without question.

Her face showed no sign of fear; she was waiting for him to move next. She held her breath as his hands grabbed her waist and closed the gap between them, she didn't so much as blink. She had always known this day would come, she had just always assumed that her father would sell her to Robb Stark or Loras Tyrell, never did she believe that her childhood fantasies would come true.

She was no child.

Jaime Lannister was no fantasy.

She was beautiful and it was a shame that a woman as beautiful as she was not going to experience the pleasure a man could give her from a man that loved her with his whole heart. He did not predict that their marriage bed would be anything but a place of lust, he wished to reassure that it would never turn into a place of fear.

He took her chin in his hand and began to kiss her slowly, he could tell she was inexperienced but she quickly caught his rhythm. He moved onto her neck, his right hand firmly grasping her buttocks as soft lips grazed her skin, he pressed himself closer to her until her breasts were firmly against his chest.

He guided her to the bed and hovered over her before taking her nipple into his mouth causing her back to arch. "I want to hear you moan, Princess." He began attacking her breasts once more, peppering kisses as he went. She gasped as he put his lips on hers once again, moaning into his mouth.

She opened her eyes as the weight from his body disappeared and she found him hovering over her lower regions. He closed his lips around her sex, smirking when she arched her back and moaned loudly as if to inform they whole castle that they were consummating their marriage. He pressed her hips down as she began to wriggle and shake as his tongue invaded her. He could hear her moans getting louder.

He removed the last of his small clothes and prepared to fulfil their duty. His lips forced to hers as he forced his fingers inside of her for a few minutes before replacing them with the head of his cock. She gripped onto his broad shoulders tightly as he entered her.

She quickly learnt how to please and it was evident that their escapades were successful when they arrived on Winterfell and after a visit to the Stark's Maester.

Jaime had never felt so relieved and so scared at once. He had fulfilled what his father had asked of him. He was going to have a child, a legitimate child, something he thought he would never get to have.

He ran to the only person he told everything. He didn't know how to tell the woman he loved that he was to be a father, a proper father to the child of another woman.

"Vesara is with child." He spoke as he brushed the hair away from her neck and began kissing her there as they cavorted in the old tower at Winterfell.

"Well brother, I would expect nothing less with all the moaning and screaming she does. You certainly know how to please the little whore don't you? Pretending she is me is all that you need to see you through to the end."

In truth, Jaime had thought that he would need to think about Cersei as he ploughed into Vesara but Cersei had been the furthest thing from his mind after he had overcome his initial feelings of unfaithfulness.

Jaime had been surprised about how quickly he had become comfortable in between the princess's legs. He loved how it irked the King, when he would see Jaime smirking from ear to ear every morning after laying with his daughter as they travelled north along the King's Road.

He enjoyed it even more when he and Vesara announced that she was with child and he saw the expression on the King's face. He was uneasy that his grandchildren would be Lannisters, sired by the Kingslayer at that.

He had little worry for his unborn child, he knew that as he rode to free his younger brother Vesara would protect their child. She would grieve for her father and then she would carry on. She wasn't a particularly emotional girl and for that he was grateful. He had scolded himself when he mused the similarities between Vesara and his sister.

He laughed again at the mere thought.

The stag would never survive in the lions den, she was prey.

x

Her heart was heavy.

In her short life she had never experienced anything like this before. It was uncomfortable to breathe and she felt her words caught in her throat.

She had liked to think that she had a good grasp of emotions and how they transpired in reality. She had known what is was like to be excited, nervous, anxious and happy but she had never known sadness or disappointment.

Stannis had always taught her to prepare for disappointment by assuming the worst in people and remaining cautious and suspicious. Disappointment never came because she was always prepared.

And yet, sadness was the most confusing and unfamiliar to her.

She did not feel sadness for the death of her mother, she did not know the woman, nor was she spoken of often. Her mother was a ghost that only existed in the memories of the Martells.

She did not feel sadness when a boy she thought she loved rejected her. He was entitled to live his own life his own life as he saw fit, as did she, the angst is always swallowed by the higher purpose.

The babe moved uncomfortably in her belly. It felt what she was feeling as well; perhaps the babe was projecting his own feelings onto her. The hormones were getting the best of her, the Maester had warned her that being with child has the tendency to do so. The very thought made her anxious, she needed to be in control.

When she entered the Sept she began to shake. Tommen was already in tears before they approached the steps of the Sept of Baelor. His mother attempting to quieten him with Joffrey's displeased eyes cast downward in distaste.

The base of Visenya's Hill was drowning in peasants and low-lords alike that wished to farewell the King. They looked to be in worst spirits that the Queen herself.

Vesara had to admire her poise. Although there was little love lost between her father and the Queen, she knew how to act appropriately. That was all her step-mother was, a black heart adorned it fine jewels and false dutifulness that fooled lords and common-folk. For a time she too had been fooled by the Queen, Vesara had dreamed of being as elegant and fierce and the lioness, but her fathers trusted mentor the late Lord Jon Arryn convinced her otherwise.

The Sept of Baelor brought little joy to Vesara, as a place of Godly worship to comfort and redeem it seemed to have been the centre of heartache and farewells.

The farewell of Jon Arryn.

The farewell of Vesara, the maiden.

And now, the farewell of Robert Baratheon.

"It seems little fawn that we must play the role of the strong mourning beauties, both loved fiercely by the King." Cersei had entwined her arm in Vesara's and patted her hand softly.

Vesara did not respond.

"I hope that the joyous sound of your voice returns soon little fawn, we wouldn't want it to be overshadowed by the roaring of lions. After all, you are the last stag, we wouldn't want you to fall as prey in the lion's den."

"My apologies your Grace, it seems I lack my usual energy as of late. Carrying a child is much more exhausting than expected. The lion in my belly is much stronger than this stag can bear to handle at present. No matter, I assure I will return to normal."

She glanced down at the large swell of Vesara's stomach. This child would be more lion that stag, Cersei and Jaime would make sure of it. It was a threat that needed to be contained.

Vesara's very presence in King's Landing was an insult to Cersei, she had wished more than anything that her brother and forced her to Casterly Rock as soon as she was with child. That was her place now, not at the side of her brother and most definitely not at the ear of Joffrey.

"My dear, carrying a babe is the easy part. Bringing a squalling babe into the world and raising it is the difficult part. No matter, trust that the babe will be well supported."

Vesara failed to heed the warnings of Cersei as they came often and quickly, although the death of her father changed things. Jaime was absent from the Capitol, which caused her some concern, despite being far from a dotting husband he was adequate as wedge between herself and the Queen. She was now unbridled, as was Joffrey.

"My dear sister…" he sneered. "…our father, killed my a boar. Fear not, I will never succumb to such a death, I will never be bested by a beast."

"We all have our follies brother, should it had not been the beast it most certainly would have been the wine."

"Of course sister, but we are not foolish in the same way you and I. We are of the same ilk, but of stronger will, our dear father was a fearsome warrior and look what he had become. You are true and beautiful like the Dornish and I am fierce like the lion. It is up to you and I to continue fathers legacy sister, we must teach Tommen and Myrcella what it means to be a Baratheon."

Vesara often ignored the idiocies of her brother, he had long been all roar and no bite. But now a fear struck her, he had access to others that would bite for him and it seemed that the roar of a lion king would suffocate the roar of a lioness.

She felt cold.

Cersei should be worried.

They all should be worried.

x

Only hours before she heard the screams of her son as he entered the world she had been at the side of the serving maid who was doing the same.

The screams of the girl terrified her.

Vesara had offered her own septa to service the needs of the girl in birthing. The girl was terrified and afraid of what would become of her and the child, especially if the Queen had found out that she was with child by the late King Robert.

She had come to Vesara, desperate to ensure that she and the babe would be protected from the Queen. Jon Arryn had guaranteed her such but had not lived to see out his promise, just as he had with all of the other baseborn children of Robert.

With every passing week another one of her baseborn siblings was killed by order of Joffrey, no doubt encouraged by his mother. Vesara had failed to save them, she would not fail this time.

When the girl's eyes emptied and her body went cold Vesara knew it was over. The room was soiled in blood and the echoes of her screams. The babe had been torn from her womb. She would not see the tidy sum of dragons that Vesara would exchange the babe for, she would not see her boy grow even if it was to be from a far.

She had journeyed with the Stranger and now Vesara was left at odds.

He entered her solar from the hidden passageway. She had Bane summon him to her quarters in secret.

She did not wish to trust the Spider but at present he had little to sell her secrets for. The Queen was becoming disfavoured and he was certainly not obligated to gift her any whispers.

"It seems you are one of the only trust worthy people remaining in King's Landing Lord Varys."

"Shocking I know Princess, you, I and Lord Eddard Stark are but few who remain more loyal to the realm than to ourselves. It is such dark times we live in and even more uncertain times after the death of your father. Lord Stark will not make it another moon I fear, the black cells may not break him but a swing of Ser Illyn Payne's sword most certainly will."

The Spider had guaranteed that he would keep the babe under his protection until Vesara left King's Landing. She had considered the option of attempting to pass her babe and her baseborn half-sibling as twins, but the risk of getting caught was too high. She could not endanger two babes unnecessarily.

"I wish to see him." She spoke with uncertainty, visiting Lord Stark was definitely not a wise move and she knew that, Cersei's spies were just as well proliferated as Lord Varys.

"I'm sorry Princess, I will not lead you to your death. You and I both know that the Queen needs little excuse to have you executed as well, without your father and your Lord husband you are unprotected her, do not give her reason to brand you as treasonous."

"If he is to die I wish to share something with him. It is only fair."

"I can assure you my dear, Lord Eddard knows much more than he lets on. Go across the Narrow Sea, it will be the only way to protect their secret. When the time comes I will be there."

Not long after she lay in her chambers, weak and waited on by maids and servants.

She had not expected her babe to arrive for another moon, but it seemed that he did not wish to be confined any longer.

"Oh little fawn, well done, you have performed primary duty of every wife. You have given my brother a son."

Cersei had sat calmly by her side from the time that the birthing pains had begun. Her presence throughout the birth had made Vesara uneasy, but the Queen Regent refused to leave. She insisted that she be there in the stead of her brother and as Vesara's mother. The very notion made Vesara feel worse than she already did. Cersei did not pull the mother card very often but when she did it was always on her terms, never would the Queen let Vesara address her as mother, not even as a child when she did not understand that her own mother had been taken from her.

Vesara's eyes were locked on the boy in the arms of Cersei, he seemed at ease in the arms of the lioness despite her look of longing and sadness.

"He looks exactly like the little boy I fleetingly held in my arms. I remember that day so clearly, your father had gone out hunting for a gift of pelts and you were cavorting outside my chambers waiting for your little brother to enter the world. And when he came and went I had to tell you where he had gone, that he had gone with the Stranger into the arms of the Mother."

Vesara grasped Cersei's free hand. It was times like this that Vesara wondered if her relationship with Cersei was in fact built on false niceties or if there was some level of genuine care. She believed there had been at a time, regardless of how fleeting, it had existed.

"It was wrong for my father to leave and you be left to explain to a young girl what had happened."

"The difficulties and pain make us strong Vesara. This boy will be strong, like Jaime and like Robert and he will have the two of us." Cersei smiled down at the little bundle. Vesara did all she could to decipher the Queen's thoughts, praying that she would not go as far as to rid Vesara of the boy she held in her arms and the evidence of Jaime's betrayal.

"Do you have a name?"

"I had wished to name him with Jaime but it seems that the boy could go on without a name for sometime. I had thought about Robb, after my father but it would seem distasteful so close after his death."

"I'm not sure that Jaime would approve of the name either." Vesara laughed softly bringing discomfort to her innards.

"Durrandon Lannister, after the Storm King's of old." She looked to Cersei for her approval.

"A strong name. Durrandon of House Lannister, first of his name."


	3. Chapter 3

"You miss her don't you?" She spoke softly as she rocked the sleeping babe in her arms, gently settling him by playing with his small toes.

"More than anything, Khalessi, I have been at her side since the day she came into this world. I was sent to take her as a babe from the arms of her mother fresh from the womb, but I didn't do it." He looked down, he always looked down when he spoke of Vesara and fidled with a piece of gold strapped to his wrist, she couldn't quite see what it was as it was obscured by his tunic.

"What changed your mind?"

"The circumstances changed. Her mother died in the childbed and word had reached Dorne that Princess Elia had been attacked. Your father had ordered that I remain with Vesara in Sunspear until the Kingsguard had destroyed the Kingswood Brotherhood. It seems that things kept happening that kept us in Dorne and there we remained under the protection of Prince Doran until they demanded our return and your father and brother were defeated." His face was pale as he recalled those dark times, sometimes he had wished that his memories escaped, unfortunately his mind was just as sharp as it had been all those years ago.

"Vesara would have been raised in your home had things turned out differently, you would have loved her like a sister and the babe in your arms would have belonged to your nephew. That was what the King wanted."

"Why did my father want Vesara so badly?" She began pacing the room and swaying Torrhen more aggressively as he began to stir.

"He knew how stubborn Robert was, he knew he would never agree to have his daughter fostered to King's Landing or Dragonstone, so he ordered me to take her. He wanted the last piece of his strong and true friend that remained. People often forget the early details…" he paused, he didn't like to recall the past and he certainly did not take any comfort in retelling the history he knew to the woman before him.

She raised a brow insisting that he continue.

"… Lord Steffon Baratheon, was the cousin to your father, and his most trusted friend and confidant. Your father begged him to venture to the East and find Prince Rhaegar a Valyrian bride, at the same time he had just learnt that Robert and Princess Mariah Martell were with child. Lord Steffon never returned and as far as your father was concerned his grandchild was all that remained. The death of Lord Steffon was one of the things that pushed the King into madness, he trusted no one."

Monterys was dark.

She didn't doubt that the things that he said were untrue but it was as if it all existed in alternate universe, the stories she had always been told were of her families greatness and of their dragons. When people were feeling exceptionally courageous she would hear stories of their downfall, of her father's madness. No one ever stated the things that drove him mad.

"It seems as if he was wise not trust anyone, they all played a role in my families downfall, his suspicions were not unfounded."

"There is only one man in the Seven Kingdom's who was clever enough and with enough motive to overthrown the Targaryen dynasty."

"Tywin Lannister?" She questioned, she was begging to gain some clarity in who all of the major players in Westeros were.

"Aye, Robert Baratheon was no more than a brute, Lord Eddard Stark his conscience and justice, Lord Jon Arryn his brain. He never had the desire to rule but it seemed that by default his battles had led to an empty victory. I often think what it would have been like if Robert didn't take the crown, his two side-kicks would have ran as far and as fast as they could, the remaining option would have been Lord Tywin Lannister."

"An usurper is a false king, it makes no matter which one it is."

"Like I said, Robert was fierce in the battlefield, you could always read which way he would move and strike, Tywin on the other hand, he is politically fierce, for that you never know where the next attack will come from."

"They're all traitors and my dragons will burn them all the same, flesh is flesh."

Monterys was not in a position to agree or disagree with the Mother of Dragons, she was still young, younger than Vesara by a few years; she would grow into her political acumen.

Or so he hoped.

She sat in her chamber in Qarth, she had to admit that she spent a lot of time thinking and wondered if she was beginning to overthink. She still had her concerns with taking Torrhen as her own, she didn't know what she would do if she found that he was not of the dragon. She couldn't just leave the boy. But she couldn't have him as her heir.

"Does something trouble you my Queen?" Ser Jorah Mormont came to her side. It was times like this she turned to him, he had been her only constant throughout the death of her brother and Khal Drogo.

Everything troubled her as of late, being in Qarth surrounded by warlocks and rich merchants unsettled her. She had only just got accustomed to being in a khalasaar and now she was leading a people that were still foreign to her into even more foreign lands.

"What reason do I have to trust Ser Monterys? Did you ever encounter him in the West?"

He could barely recall his time in Westeros, he could barely rememer his time at his home on Bear Island. It seem the only memories he had were of Lord Eddard's mercy in banishing him instead.

"I had crossed his path once, when I stood trial in Winterfell, he and the Princess were visiting before she journied to White Harbour from Karhold and the Dreadfort. She was a timid girl with her knight at her side. The Velaryon's of Driftmark, the old, the true, the brave, I have no doubt of his loyalty if that is what you are questioning. If you ask him something be sure that he will answer honestly."

Daenerys found little comfort in the words of Jorah. Times were trying and she had a feeling that things were only going to get worse from here.

x

Vesara was fighting a losing battle. He wasn't sure what she expected the outcome of her journey to be. Robb Stark would only cooperate if she were to wed him after he had disposed of Jaime but she would not have Jaime slaughtered for the sake of securing the North, the North which she would have authority to rule alongside her would be husband.

No. It made things too easy on the Northmen. She would be playing right into the hands of the Starks bannermen. She would not feed their misguided disillusions about being able to defeat the Lannister armies. Robb was a brilliant leader on the battlefield but he still had little experience as a commander and strategist.

As much as she pretended to disown her uncles as they made their claim at the Iron Throne she could never betray her family name by endorsing an independent North. Where she was, she was perfectly positioned to support her closest living relatives, her brother Joffrey's claim.

He had tried asking the girl to explain her motive for visiting the Stark camp. But she was silent.

Silence always made him suspicious.

It was not that he didn't trust Vesara but she was still young, she was still impressionable, a quality that her uncles Stannis and Jon Arryn played on. They knew how proud she wanted to make her house.

She did not confide in him the same way she did in Monterys, she had been withdrawn since he had departed with the babe, it was as if a part of her was missing. He wished that she would trust him in the same way she had trusted the old seahorse, instead she shut him out wherever she could. He worried for the demons she had created in her own mind and if she was strong enough to fight them.

"Have you come to offer me your hand?" Robb jested. He smiled at her brightly.

It was clear that the Wolf King found it difficult to separate his friendship with Vesara and his duty as King. She was with the enemy, he harboured her husband as his prisoner and yet she stood before him as if there was nothing occurring outside of his tent.

"My apologies your grace, my hand is somewhat preoccupied. Battle suits you well you've definitely come into your own."

"War forces boys to become men."

"And a man you have become."

"Tell me Princess, what is it that brings you to a Stark camp. My men could have crushed your travelling party with ease and yet you risk your own life and theirs for what?"

Tallon could hear very little from the edges of the tent but he sensed no danger in their conversation. Vesara and her men would live for another day, of course he could not be certain of her Lannister party who were forced to disarm upon entry to Ser Brax's dismay.

Vesara was accompanied by a diverse range of men, many that were born enemies and that had become enemies as a result of the War of the Five Kings and yet they still continued to serve, just as they were required.

Their travelling party had been 100 when they had departed King's Landing, their numbers and since halved after the Wildfire attack. Vesara's men now included the Lannister men gifted to her by Jaime after news of her pregnancy commanded by his childhood friend Ser Damon Brax. Her sworn swords from both the Stormlands and Dragonstone alongside her personal guard that had been with her from the time she was born.

As their houses fought one another they fought together to protect the Princess and her child, who at this rate would inherit the Stormlands, Dragonstone and Casterly Rock.

Tallon and his younger brother Bane had been gifted to Robert as an act of fealty after Robert's Rebellion. Tallon knew that his brother was never certain that Robert would accept his surrender; it had been a gamble that had luckily paid off. At ten and three Tallon was a sworn sword to Vesara before she had reached her third name day and Bane was taken in as Vesara's play mate and would become Stannis ward until her swore his fealty to Vesara in his later years.

Randyll Tarly wasn't the kindest of brothers, he was ambitious and enjoyed the fear that came with being a great commander. Nothing would have pleased him more than to have his youngest brother betrothed to the little fawn.

He was a fool.

She always knew that she would be married off in an elaborate scheme. They all knew it and yet her father continued to promise her that she would be able to marry for love, just like he wished he had with Lyanna.

"I cannot release the Kingslayer to you, the Lannisters have to pay for what they've done, for the death of my father and for their…" He paused.

Something had caught the wolf's tongue.

He handed her a letter with the broken seal of her uncle Stannis. Her expression remained stony as she read the contents of the letter before handing it back to Robb.

"…for their sins, Sara. I'm sorry, your brothers Joffrey, Tommen and your sister Myrcella are in fact your nephews and niece or your step-children?"

She did not feign shock, she did not respond.

"You knew?"

"Of course I knew. Jon Arryn knew, your father knew and look what happened to them. I was to create the last piece of evidence that Jon needed, that the union of a Baratheon and Lannister would always produce a stag, our seed is strong."

"Why would you agree to marry Jaime Lannister knowing that he had produced bastard children born of incest?"

"The Crown is in debt, the sum is quickly increasing and no doubt this war is sinking the Crown further into debt to the Iron Bank and to the Lannisters. The Kingdom would crumble if the Lannisters withdraw their financial support. Jon saw only one solution to riding the court of Lannisters, false kings and debt."

She trusted Robb. He was like his father in a lot of respects; for the most part he was a man of his word.

She also didn't believe that he would get the opportunity to share this information. He would be lucky to see another name day. War is cruel and the Stranger is coming for them all.

She spelt it out for him. "Marry Jaime Lannister, prove that Cersei's children were born of adultery and produce a Lannister heir. I would become my father's heir, Jaime would be sent to the Wall or executed, along with the bastard boys and Cersei would most definitely be executed. The Lannister babe would become the heir to Dorne, heir to Casterly Rock and considering the behaviour of my uncles, the Stormlands and Dragonstone as well. Maybe even King of the Seven Kingdoms. And like magic the debt of the Crown is dissolved."

Robb was puzzled by this elaborate plan that certainly involved a lot of best-case scenarios.

"Looking back, I was foolish to accept Jon Arryn's proposal, but what do you expect from a girl of seven and ten who wants nothing more than to make her father proud and have him see her as more than the trophy that allowed him to pursue your aunt Lyanna."

Robb cast his eyes downward, he knew the pressure of making your father proud. He had just lost his and now he was doing all he could to hold the North together and to get justice.

He and Vesara were both still children.

x

Jaime enjoyed taunting Robb; that much was apparent. Jaime enjoyed seeing the boy riled and agitated, it certainly made his detainment a little more interesting considering the Northern men didn't gossip nearly as much as every other force he'd been with. It made for boring listening.

Usually.

After the death of Eddard Stark murmurings started rushing through the camp, the ones about his wife intrigued him the most.

One minute his wife was to be betrothed to her half-brother Joffrey after they had removed Jaime in order to strengthen his claim to the throne, the next she was rallying her own army with her mothers people in Dorne. After awhile one was sounding more outrageous then the next. One of his favourites was that she was headed for the Stark camp to offer herself to Robb so that he could claim the Iron Throne for her.

It was all so ridiculous.

The girl wasn't ambitious enough to take the Iron Throne for herself. She was content doing what she wanted when she wanted; she was a lot like him in that respect. She had always been the perfect Princess, nothing more and nothing less.

Everyone always forgot that she was a contender, probably down to the fact that she was a girl and married to a Lannister, leaving the bickering to her uncles Stannis and Renly. Had they pushed her to withdraw her renouncement of the crown they would have rallied behind her, the half-wits wouldn't forsake their honour long enough to pressure her into challenging her brother and they definitely would not encourage her when it would give Jaime a stake in the Iron Throne.

Jaime enjoyed their obvious distaste of him. Vesara had yet to forgive Stannis for not attending their wedding, her disfavour towards him was something to be grateful for, the worse their relationship was, the better.

Jaime knew he should feel bad that he didn't worry for her welfare, that and the welfare of his child. He didn't even know if his child had made into the world safely or not, he up and left with only his need to satisfy his thirst for revenge. He would save his brother and that was all that mattered.

He didn't think that Vesara would care. She wasn't really the caring type. The Baratheons were never ones to wear their hearts on their sleeves; however, he assumed that being the only woman of the family that she would have some softness about her, apparently not.

It had disappeared with her youth.

She was perfectly capable of looking after herself, she had done it most of her life. He was certainly surprised when she did not object to marrying him as his sister insisted she would. Although she had not shown him any particular distaste, she certainly did not fawn over him like the rest of the girls and women in Kings Landing and certainly not like she had as a child.

To her he was a duty.

It was rather unfortunate really. If things were different he could have seen himself satisfied with a life with her. That version of life consisted of Cersei's absence. That wasn't a life that he was ready to accept.

Vesara knew the two were close, he was certain she didn't think anything of it. If she did she was a lot better at acting than he had thought and definitely less Baratheon than he assumed.

He spent far too much time thinking of Vesara in his isolation, it made him uneasy.

The men in the camp were beginning to agitate him. Their conversations were louder today than they had been in the last few weeks. They were excited.

There was a woman in the camp.

Robb Stark had come to visit him again; this time there was an air of arrogance about him that Jamie hadn't seen before. He was impressed, almost fearful when his beast entered his confines. Something was in the works.

He could smell it.

It smelt of slightly burnt peppermint and vanilla, a smell that was all too familiar to him.

She appeared in the doorway as soon as Stark and his beast disappeared from sight. She wore a familiar pouty smirk on her face; clearly she was unfazed by his appearance.

"Seems as if the rumours from the camp are true." He peered at her from beneath his greasy overgrown locks.

"And what rumours would those be?" She inched closer.

"You've taken to the bed of Robb Stark, the gallant wolf and King in the North that is set on freeing your throne from the jaws of the lion."

She pursed her lips before swinging a bucket of lukewarm water over him. "Do not mistake me for a common whore."

"You are the daughter of Robert after all."

She came closer and whipped his face with a washcloth.

"With that temper one might mistake you for a lion or perhaps it's your fabled Baratheon fury." She began aggressively scrubbing at his skin, the thick layer of dirt and grime that covered his handsome face was stubborn and unmoving, all the more reason for excessive force.

Her stern face and silence brought a smile to his face.

She wiped that smirk off his face aggressively before turning to the entrance and demanding a squire to attend to his lavatory messes.

"I'm surprised you know how to clean at all Princess. Tell me, would be so kind as to clean my cock with your folds, or perhaps those pouty lips of yours will suffice?" He smirked at her.

She grabbed him by the hair and ripped his head backward before taking to his beard with a blade.

She did not take to his humour something that he had grown used to, despite his lack of trying. It seems that her uncle Stannis had engrained part of his dull personality and stoic expressions on his niece.

He remembered when the Princess returned to the Capitol, she had not been past her two and tenth name day after being brought to the Capitol after spending most of her childhood between Dragonstone and Storm's End. She was a studious girl who spent a majority of her time reading of military strategy and war through the ages and when she could, harassing her father on how he won the Iron Throne.

On the two days that he watched over her she never acknowledged him once, not so much as a smile, he had grown saddened when he realised the smiles of this child would only exist in his memory. On the evening of the second day Stannis came to bid her farewell as he returned was set to return to Dragonstone.

He spoke to her in hushed whispers, it was clear that he did not wish for Jaime to her what he was telling the young girl. Tact was always something that Stannis lacked, among other things.

 _"_ _Little fawn, your antlers are growing and will continue to grow as you find your place in this forest of politics, lies and deceit. Life in King's Landing will challenge you; the forest floor is covered in little birds and rats, scuttling about with their whispers for their masters, trust no one. With each year the foliage will die and be replaced with something stronger, more magnificent, as these are replaced your antlers and your crown will grow. Ensure that the head that it rests on is not tempted by the flesh, the gold, or the glory but rests on wisdom, pride and honour, for ours is the fury."_

She had not said a word in the time that Stannis visited her, instead she responded with a hug before he vanished from sight.

This girl had been peculiar; she wasn't like the others that were consumed by stories of Princes and gallant knights, their hair and extravagant dresses. As she scrubbed at his skin as if he were nothing more than a toy he saw glimpses of that girl, so cut off and uncaring.

She concluded her work and perched herself on a stool across from him. The remote feeling of cleanliness that he felt as if he had forgotten relieved him.

She lowered her head signally her exhaustion.

"What of the babe?" He asked.

Her face was cast downward but he saw a glimpse of her smile.

"Strong and healthy, a boy by the name of Durrandon, black of hair and deep green of eyes, with a set of lungs that give the most stalwart a scare."

Jaime attempt to hide his smile. He felt an odd sense of pride, one that he had repressed when Vesara had told him that she was with child. A babe in the womb was not yet a babe in the flesh, childbirth is not a certain thing, he could not bring himself to feel anything for something that may not exist and yet, in hearing that the babe had made it into the world he felt something in him stirring.

A pride that he had not allowed himself to feel at the birth of his children with Cersei, this was a child he did not need to be ashamed of.

"You were not foolish enough to bring him here were you?"

"You take me for a whore and a fool? Is there anything else to add to the list my good husband? The child is safe, that is all that needs to be said."

"So what foolish notion has brought you here?"

"It would seem any place is safer than King's Landing with a tyrannical brother warming the Iron Throne and even more unreasonable regent controlling the Council. I have interests of self preservation, I don't fancy having your dearest sister roast our child and I with wildfire." He flinched.

She knew of the tales of King's Landing during the rule of Aerys and his plots with pyromancers.

His sister would never do such a thing. Cersei was many things but she was not a kinslayer. Was she? Vesara was one thing, but the babe was a Lannister. Perhaps her jealousy had thrown her over the edge. All she needed was for Jaime to return to her and assure her of his loyalty only to her.

"Before my father's blood had gone cold there were calls to displace the Queen, and to appoint another regent. Of course my darling brother saw to it that Stark would not be her replacement, so they turned to me. I value the life of myself and my son far greater than the glory of throne."

Executing Stark was a foolish move, no doubt one from Joffrey. His death was more trouble than it was worth and unfortunately it would continue to be a bother.

"You? Regent? What a ridiculous sentiment, you know nought of politics and the influence of gold."

"I've survived your sister this long haven't I?"

"You can't value your life that much Princess, you are here after all."

"It would seem your father was rather taken with the suggestion that every Northern man in the camp should fuck a Princess for the freedom of one lion. He would get everything he wants, his son freed, a grandson and rid of Joffrey's only legitimate threat to the Iron Throne."

She was lying. His father's pride would never let something so brutal happen to Vesara.

She was a Lannister now.


	4. Chapter 4

He had turned down her offer of exchange, just like she had expected him to. She wished that Robb would return north and live out the rest of his days but she knew that honour and pride would keep him on the battlefield.

Durrandon in exchange for Jaime wasn't the best plan she had concocted but it served its purpose, she had an audience with Robb. If it had worked Tywin would have been more likely to participate with Robb's demands at the risk of losing his grandson and Jaime's heir.

This game was far too dangerous for babes and yet it didn't matter who you were or how old you were, no one was free from being a player in the game of thrones, willing or otherwise.

Nevertheless, she left with her men and continued towards Harrenhal where Tywin was set to arrive the day following, she knew she would be safer with the old lion than with anyone else. The Capitol certainly wasn't safe with Joffrey and Cersei making every attempt that they could on her life and with her uncles bickering between one another, with her in the centre things would get even worse.

She had never seen them behave as they were now. They would both make terrible kings, and it broke her heart that neither of them had offered to rally behind her or even considered working together.

The actions of Renly had surprised her the most; he was made of copper, never very politically ambitious but always pompous. He taught her to appreciate the finer things while Stannis told her of times when book soup was the only sustenance he had. She was certain that the Tyrell's were far too involved in Renly's sudden interest in the Iron Throne.

Everyone had a hidden agenda.

On the other hand, Stannis's actions were of no surprise at all. There were stages in his life that killed him on the inside; she often pitted her uncle. Her father didn't appreciate Stannis or give him the recognition that Stannis felt he deserved. Robert put him on a cliff when he gifted him with Dragonstone instead of their ancestral seat, he nudged him towards the edge when he removed Vesara from his care, and he pushed him off when he appointed Eddard Stark as Hand of the King over him.

She had always thought that her father had his reasons for doing these things to Stannis, perhaps it was out of spite or perhaps it was to test Stannis. Either way, Robert had entrusted Stannis with his eldest daughter, surely that had to count for something.

Dragonstone had served Vesara well in her angst ridden teen years. Her uncle had done well to rid her of the fairy tales that she had Renly were raised on in Storm's End, it seemed as if Storm's End was spring, everything was bright and new and Dragonstone was fall, everything was slowly drying and returning to the earth.

She was grateful for the proximity of Dragonstone and the regular trips to King's Landing with her uncle as Master of Ships, if only for day at least she would get to see her father. Vesara could not rationally understand why she loved a man that she barely knew so much; she worshiped Robert from the time she returned to his arms after he won the rebellion right until he took his last breath.

She sat at his side that day. She and Eddard took shifts with Cersei pretending that she was too distraught to see her husband in such a state. Truth was, Cersei was too good at playing the doting wife when all eyes were on her, yet as soon as they were cast aside so too was her act.

"Rain fury and hell on those Lannister shits." He coughed, he shouldn't have been speaking but he insisted on getting out all of his final comments. She felt his grip on her hand loosen with every ounce of energy he used in last moments. "I'm sorry I had to sell you to one, the Kingslayer of all people. I wanted you to be able to marry for love like I never had the opportunity to."

"Do not fret father, I did marry for love, for the love of the Kingdom and the love of my family. My duty to them is my love for them."

"Cut the shit, you play the Princess and the diplomat all too well girl, if only you had been a son. You've learnt well, say pretty words with resentful thoughts. You are more than I could have hoped for."

She was Robert's pride and joy, Stannis reminded her of that when he would get in one of his moods. He was rave about how his brother treated him, his lack of respect and yet he would gift him his most prized possession, his little girl.

"I have no need for a girl. I have need for fertile land to grow crops and feed my people, what am I to do with a girl?" She knew her uncle meant nothing against her, but she knew she was a reminder of Robert's slight.

"One brother, is a vicious idiot, your sister and young brother are far too sweet. Watch them, they are lions through and through. What was that dreadful poem I wrote for you on your wedding day?" He chuckled as he tried to remember his one and only attempt at writing poetry. Vesara had thought that he was jealous of her talent and her time spent exchanging poetry with the Red Viper. He had recited Vesara a poem in his drunken stupor at her wedding feast.

She remembered the look on both Cersei and Jaime's faces when her father belted out his awful rhyme, at least Tywin seemed somewhat amused, and she couldn't help but laugh. Her father always knew how to make her laugh.

She imagined what he was like in the face of danger. She imagined how he would laugh and chase down his enemies and swing his warhammer, she imagined he did not fear. Her father was a great warrior and a mediocre king, she knew that, he knew that, the whole Seven Kingdoms knew that and yet they continued to accept his rule.

Her father had become silent, his eyes barely open. He had requested that she beg Eddard to return before he drew his last breath. As she rose she felt his hand grab her wrist gently. "Be careful, I do not wish for my little girl to greet me so soon and at the will of a lioness. The stag leaves the forest on his own terms, or if a boar forces him out." He chuckled at his own jest and beckoned her to leave the room.

Jaime stood guard outside the door as she exited. His face was absent of his usual smirk. It was unusual for him to be lost for words, but he had no words of comfort, he simply acknowledged Vesara with a brief nod, distracted as Eddard Stark entered the chambers.

It was her who broke their silence.

"It seems we will have a name if the babe is to be a boy."

Jaime looked as if he was about to choke. She laughed at his response before moving closer to him. He had told her that their interaction was to minimal when he was on duty guarding the King or the royal family, but she often ignored rules as a child and clearly as a woman it was no different, she was after all a member of the royal family, much to Cersei's dismay.

"An ode to the soon to be late King Robert."

x

He was truly magnificent.

She couldn't recall a time in her life without the sweet boy. He was intelligent, quick and mild-tempered. He would be a gallant knight one day. Or perhaps he'd serve as the head of her Queensguard.

He had so much potential, enough to be King.

She watched him play with the dragons, they were rough with him but it seemed that Rhaegal had a soft spot for the boy often rising to protect him when Drogon would take things too far.

It didn't take much for her to be convinced that he was of the dragon, especially not after his interactions with her children. They knew what he was; they knew he was one of their own.

For that she was grateful, had he not been of the dragon she didn't know what she would do with him, as she had already grown fond of him.

His dark hair fell around his face, his curls bouncing when he moved. She should probably have it trimmed. He would peer out from under his dark hair with his now startling purple eyes only emphasised by his warm skin fixed on her. She was afraid to look into his eyes for too long afraid that she would get lost in phantom memories of her brother.

He was just coming into his first name year and he already had so much personality and presence about him. He would smile up at her with his toothy grin and she would melt. As of late he was the only thing that could soften her heart as her young dragons continued to bring her strife as they grew.

She was the mother of dragons, three with wings and one without.

She prayed for the day that he would ride next to her to claim what was truly theirs by right. And they would take it with blood and fire.

She prayed that his true mother would live to see them return to Westeros. She bore no ill will towards the girl; her name did not matter, not anymore. She would be renamed by her actions, she was neither stag nor lion, a storm queen with her stolen stag.

Everyone knew what happened to the last Storm Queen; her pride had seen the end of her house and her crown taken. She would have her revenge for both their houses of old.

She would restore House Targaryen to its former glory and see their babe rise as the storm dragon.

She would see him be King.

x

The boy sat at his feet surrounded by furs and ornately carved wooden figurines. Every so often he would stop gurgling and throwing things about to become silent.

He was used to the silence.

It was the most familiar thing to him.

Most of his life had been lived out in solitude, he trusted no one. He was responsible for the growth of his house and their position in the kingdom, no one else.

He had created the legacy.

This boy at his feet was apart of his legacy.

He was everything he wanted Jaime to be. He reflected on a time where he and Jaime were seated as he and Durrandon were now, the hops and dreams he had for his son, is heir and then it was all taken from him. For a long time he had tried to blame the Mad King for Jaime's actions and rejections of his inheritance, but it had always been of Jaime's accord. He had never needed any encouragement to shy away from his responsibilities.

Tywin had grown sick of it.

He would not be outwitted by his son and his daughter. That is exactly what they had thought that they had been doing for so long, in some ways he was proud in others he was furious at the audacity of the two in thinking that they could fool the great Lord Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock.

It had gone on too long so he did all that he could to prevent Jaime's idiocy from continuing. When Jaime was younger it did not matter to Tywin so much, he still felt reasonably energetic and fearsome on the battlefield, but now he had aged and Tywin admitted the reality.

He would not live forever.

He would not let the great dynasty of his house end with him.

And he most certainly would not have Tyrion inherit Casterly Rock and trade their wealth for whores and fine wine. No, their name would not be besmirched. Everyone knew what Tyrion was, a vile little monster that lived a life of luxury in a drunken stupor. Cersei, a vicious creature that threw all caution to the wind, she had always thought that her name, gold and beauty could mask her from everything. Little did she know how everything fades.

That was the problem with Cersei, she did not have much forward thought. Jaime was much the same. He only realised the degree of their selfishness when it was obvious to him that they had no real love for their house, only the power and wealth it gave him.

To him they were disloyal.

He was certain Durrandon would be different. He would be his mother's son and for one thing Tywin was certain was that Vesara knew duty. Something his children seemed to have missed in their childhood and their adulthood. It saddened him that his son would most likely not serve as Lord of Casterly Rock, everything he had built was for his son and now he had to turn to his grandson and the daughter of the man that had irritated him through his entire ghastly reign.

He was glad that Robert didn't live long enough to regret and withdraw from the arrangement they had made. He had doubted that it would work in the first place. Asking for the hand of Vesara and Jaime's freedom in exchange for continuing financing from Casterly Rock. If Robert didn't participate with Tywin's demands he would have ensured that the Capitol was cut off from his gold, much to his daughter's dismay. He had backed Robert into a corner that no one could help him out of.

And now he had somehow found himself in a position where he needed to align with a Baratheon and she needed to ally with him.

He pitted the girl. He pitted all women in fact. Great deeds were left for men and women were merely seen as aids to such, something he was certain caused distaste to Cersei. At least his daughter had gotten something that she had always craved. He had positioned her for power far greater than she could have ever wished for and his dear wife was blessed with a marriage full of love. And Vesara, well Vesara was not nearly as delicate, she was no driven by ego in the same way that his family was.

She was driven by her loyalty to her house.

Now she was all that existed of her house. Stannis was merely waiting in a cue to greet the Stranger as he continued to spout on about disgusting indiscretions about his twins. If Stannis did not die of his own stupidity, Tywin would make sure he met his end as recompense for dragging his family name into vile falsities.

In moments of weakness he found himself humouring the lies, they caused him to become sick but nothing eased the unsettling truths found in them that lingered. It only made him more grateful that Vesara and Jaime had married when they had, had it been delayed like Jaime and Cersei had both requested things would have been much different in the war.

She would have owed them no loyalties.

Tywin tampered with the scenario further. If Vesara had not married Jaime it is more than likely that Robb Stark would have been the preferred option of Robert. And as fiercely loyal as the Northerners were he was certain that they would have rallied behind their lord and lady, surely with Stannis and Renly close behind. He knew Vesara was clever. She would have been more likely to stake her claim for the Iron Throne if she had married someone other than Jaime. She was not willing to hand the Lannisters what would have been her kingdom.

His son was not fit to govern Casterly Rock let alone the Seven Kingdoms.

He would be sure that the boy would be.

In the silence the boy would stare up at him with heavy green eyes that reminded him of Vesara as a child. The boy smiled at him, flashing his grandfather the dimple on his right cheek. He would take after Vesara, there was definitely more Baratheon in this child than Lannister.

He would be trained. Tywin was sure of that. This boy would continue his legacy.

He would be the stag that attacked like a lion.

Many of Tywin's men had been startled when they entered the tent and saw an infant but no one was more startled than his servant girl.

"Does the babe frighten you?" He smirked.

"No my lord, the babe is… just unexpected."

"Is it so shocking that I should be found in the company of a babe?"

"Yes my lord, you are Lord Tywin Lannister, commander of armies, Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West."

"Can I not simply be a grandfather?"

"Of course my lord. It just seems that we forget that everyone is someone's son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister, grandfather…"

The girl was right, every man he sent to the slaughter was someone to somebody and this boy before him, he would be something far greater than just the grandson of Tywin Lannister. He could feel it in his bones.

The boy's smile spread from ear to ear when he saw his mother enter the tent. Vesara had come to retrieve the boy after Tywin had summoned her. For a moment he relieved his younger years in Casterly Rock, with Jaime at his feet and his beautiful wife coming to collect their babe. The old lion couldn't help but smile, it felt forced, but it was the best that Tywin could do since the death of Joanna.

"I do hope he hasn't been too troublesome my lord."

Vesara scooped him into her arms and playfully tapped his nose as her handmaiden scurried behind her to collect the boy's things.

"Of course not, for someone who says so little I think we have the makings of a master strategist, definitely fitting for a lordling of Casterly Rock."

Vesara was made uneasy by Tywin's attempts at casual conversation. She had few encounters with the man until they entered his camp and accompanied he and his men. At first he was apprehensive about having them with the war party but it seemed that he did not trust Cersei with the two of them either.

He knew that they were a valid threat to the crown now that people were questioning the parentage of Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen. This boy could quite easily displace the children of Cersei as King.

Jaime would definitely not be fit for service as Regent. Like always, everything would be left for Tywin.

He was tired of cleaning up everyone's mess in his old age, but here was, mentoring what was likely to be the next King who would hold lordship over four of the seven kingdoms himself.

Jon Arryn may have been a soft fool at times but he certainly knew how to arrange a marriage that would be extremely beneficial for his house and all of Westeros. His only regret was that he hadn't married the girl himself instead of having his son as the match.

Jaime was skilled in battle, but it seemed that he lacked skill everywhere else.

It didn't matter; he would have his son back and into the bed of Vesara to produce more heirs.

"On the morrow I would like him with me again Lady Vesara."

"As it pleases you my lord." She took him into his arms and he snuggled deep into her coat sighing softly.

For a moment she swore she saw the face of the old lion soften.

 **Authors note: So I know that some of the timeline is not quite accurate but it doesn't have major implications for the main story so for now it will stay as is. Hopefully it isn't too confusing. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Until next time x**


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n: Sorry for the crazy formatting of this chapter! Here is the actual version that was meant to be posted, I'm not really sure what happened there! Thanks for Guest and Mr Soze for bringing it to my attention.**

 **Chapter 5**

Tywin had demanded that she return to King's Landing with his party. She was wary of returning, some of her men were loyal but she was certain that others could be bought. Being surrounded by gold cloaks and the Kingsguard would put them in more danger, but if she refused Lord Tywin he could make life difficult for her.

He refused her request to go to Casterly Rock, he said in times such as these their family needed to stick together, for anyone who isn't them is the enemy. She did not question him, the old lion was set in his ways and would not listen to the requests of a woman.

She ordered the servants to collect their things and prepare to head south to King's Landing. She was about to walk right into the very wildfire that had chased her out, right back to Cersei Lannister.

"What are we still doing here Vesara? We should have left as soon as night fell." Tallon barged into her tent.

"Turn around and try that again with some manners, Ser." She hissed without looking at him.

He continued to approach her and grabbed her chin aggressively so she would look at him.

"My brother and I have been loyal to your cause since the day you were born, my brother does not remember a life without you and you dare respond like so, my lady? Ser Monterys could have left you after the death of his brother and served as Lord Regent for his nephew, but instead he is off on your business. I'm in charge now, I'm going to keep you honest."

She glared at him before yanking her face free from his grip.

"We are going to be in danger anywhere we go, I'm just trying to pick the lesser of evils."

"I have begged you before, return to Storms End and call to the bannermen and Baratheon loyalists, call to your Uncle Stannis, your grandfather Doran in the south and make your claim. You will be the winning side."

"No one is going to win this game Tallon, least of all the players already in it. We just have to make sure that those who rise from the ashes have something to rule."

He rested his head in his hands. He wanted nothing more than to have Vesara on the throne, there was nothing that would have brought him more honour than leading her army with his brother at his side. He had already forsaken his house for her; it was what his elder brother deserved after turning them over as hostages to Robert Baratheon.

"I can hear you whimper in your sleep. I heard your screams for weeks after the fire caught us. How can you go back there? How can you make your men go back there? You weren't the only one that burnt that day, half your men are scared for life and those are only the ones that survived. I hear them every night Vesara. Some of the men barely sleep, out of fear. All they see in their dreams are flames. You would send them back to that?"

"We ride within the hour." She responded.

He didn't understand how she could be so selfish. It was moments like this he saw flashes of Robert, taking men to war, to their deaths to meet her own ends. To the high born everyone was replaceable.

She probably thought he was being theatrical, he had been known for his dramatic flare but this time he knew he had a point and he knew she was too stubborn to admit it. He was her oldest and truest guard and friend, but the years had turned him sour, the flames even more so. He was no longer the patient, kind and fierce soul she remembered as a child.

She should release him.

He was not confined to the celibate life of the Kingsguard and yet he had taken those same oaths and loyalties of his own accord.

King's Landing was just as she predicted. Her Uncle had failed to lay siege to at the Blackwater, he was fooling himself in thinking that the Capitol would meet him on the water his fleet was far superior to all fleets in Westeros, only challenged by the Iron Islands. And yet, he still assumed that Joffrey would bring his men to their certain deaths.

He would need to play to the same rules if he wanted to defeat the Lannisters.

She was going to take every rule that she could out of the Lannister's book if she was to survive them.

She would watch Cersei from afar as Margery terrorised her, or was it the other way around? She couldn't be sure any more. Margery came to her side before the wedding proceeded. Vesara was dressed in Lannister colours in a style that would challenge even Margery, something that was bound to get the attention of Cersei and Tywin.

Vesara had known girls like Margery. The nice ones were always worse than the mean ones; it was harder to predict when they were going to attack and to know what truly lay behind their niceties.

She pitied Sansa, she had always dreamed of gallant knights and happily ever afters and here she was forced into the same fate as all highborn ladies. She would know the pain of duty, of marriage for position and power. She had only wished that she had known it elsewhere, away from her vicious brother.

It sickened Vesara to think that despite the monster that Joffrey was she still bore him some kind of love. He hadn't always been like this. She had remembered a time where he was nothing but a bawling bundle in his mother's arms with a tuft of blonde hair atop his head.

Clearly not everyone was born a monster. Power turned them into monsters.

Vesara learnt of this early in her life. She could hear the conflicting words of her father and her uncle. Her father would tell her of how she would be the greatest match for any lord or their heir. She could pick they one that she had desired the most that she could marry the one that he never had the opportunity to. There was no such thing as love, only duty as her uncle Stannis made sure that she understood.

She would be a strategic marriage, used when Robert got desperate, and that desperation grew the more the Lannisters secured their hold on the Iron Throne. Her father walked right into the trap that Tywin had set for him. Whether he liked it or not, he couldn't live without the Lannisters or their gold.

Everything had been Robert's doing and yet she continued to idolise the man, the man that she barely knew, who traded her to the Lannisters for the promise of gold. Every boy in the Seven Kingdom's had dreamed of growing up to be a warrior as fierce as Lord Robert Baratheon and his great hammer or as skilled as Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, the last true and valiant knight of the Kingsguard. But no boy would dream of an ending like Robert or Arthur.

Tallon would often dream of his own end. No matter the nightmare that plagued him, if he was to die it was always the same.

Protecting Vesara from herself was not going to be an easy feat. With every passing day he feared that it would cost him his life.

That would be the unfortunate cost of his loyalty.

x

"Surely towing me by these shackles tires you."

"Your incessant whining and poor attempts at jesting tire me Kingslayer." Brienne yanked at his chains, she was tired of him slowing her down and was quickly becoming slower and slower to anger.

"You see, we could be rid of all of our tires if we were to reach King's Landing faster. There is only so much scenery and blood stained earth one man should have to see."

He had struck a chord when he mentioned Renly Baratheon, the copper King. It seemed that the beast fancied him.

"We cannot help who we love."

"Do you love your lady wife Kingslayer?" Jaime choked at her question. Never had he been asked about Vesara, people usually had better things to converse with him about than some girl.

"Duty is not the same as love. I have a duty to the Lady Vesara, to my family, to my house, to the King, to the Seven Kingdoms. So many duties and vows make a man tired. But love, love is the most tiring of them all, the duties of the heart are the most unpredictable."

He was confused with his feelings towards Vesara. He had near eighteen years with the girl, he remembered the news of her betrothal at the time of Aegon Targaryen's birth. Jaime knew what the Mad King was planning; he had grown tired of being threatened by Tywin and was ready to replace him with Steffon Baratheon but since he never made it back to Westeros he was determined to join their families another way.

Steffon's oldest granddaughter would be Queen. The storm queen as Aerys had put it in one of his ramblings.

And it seems many paths since then brought the Iron Throne just out of her reach. She was near three years old when she was brought to King's Landing after the Rebellion when Jaime was assigned to her and every time he had encountered her she was different than the last.

Eddard Stark and Howland Reed along with her sworn sword Monterys, had brought her from Dorne on their journey North as an energetic girl with a frightful fire in her. They say that she was born in the sand and suckled from the scorpions and snakes. It was all nonsense of course; her behaviour was the doing of her granduncle Oberyn and his Sand Snakes.

Cersei had a hard enough time keeping Robert's attention and when the girl arrived it was more so difficult. The day after they were wed at the Sept of Baelor, Jaime was summoned to the Great Hall where he found Robert seated on the Iron Throne with the toddler on his lap.

She sang to her father as she played with the war hammer that rested at the King's side.

 _Wise sir, do not grieve_

 _It is always better to avenge dear ones_

 _Than to indulge in mourning_

 _For everyone one of us,_

 _Living in this world_

 _Means waiting for our end_

 _Let whoever can_

 _Win glory before death_

 _When a warrior is gone_

 _That will be his best and only bulwark_

He whispered kind words to her as he tried to tell himself that he had gotten his revenge and that all was even, in a tone Jaime had never heard him use before. He told the girl how one day her son might sit on the Iron Throne and that she would be Regent. He told her how they were better than the Lannister shits that they had found themselves surrounded by.

Robert had a special skill for making Jaime's blood boil.

Of course, Cersei did all that she could to be rid of the King's daughter and things worked in her favour once Joffrey was born.

Jaime remembered the girl on her fathers lap in the Great Hall and then the girl who cried softly when her baby brother was torn from her arms.

"My good step-mother, who will teach Joffrey how to be a prince and who will play with him when I am gone? I wish to stay with Joffrey and here with you. How else will I become a poised, elegant and beautiful lady if I'm not with you?"

She gently wiped a tear that had fallen on the babe's face.

"Do not fret little fawn, Joffrey has the King to teach him all of those things and soon enough you and Joffrey will have other little princes and princesses to play with, your good aunt Lady Selyse will teach you how to be a lady. You must do your duty, as the King has asked and take residence at Storm's End with your uncle Renly, there you will be watched over by your uncle Stannis. You should be honoured that your father bestows upon you a childhood at the seat of your ancestors."

Cersei was softer then. She had attempted to comfort the girl. Truth was, having her leave King's Landing was her doing, as she had convinced Robert that it was for the best, that she would benefit from having a childhood like his.

As they walked to the ships Vesara had begged Jaime to hold her hand. It was a request that she made quite often when she first arrived in King's Landing but had not done so recently.

"Please Ser Jaime, my father, he would hold my hand." Jaime took his hand in hers, crouching slightly so she could walk without being on her toes.

"Are you going to miss me Ser Jaime? There will be no one to play dolls with you now, does that you make you sad Ser?"

"I do believe you commanded me to play dolls with you."

"I did not command you to have fun." She flashed him a bright smile and gazed up at him with her big brown eyes.

"I shall miss you Ser Jaime, you are my favourite of all the knights and of all the Kingsguard. I did ask father if I could take you to be Lord Commander of my Princessguard, but apparently it does not work like that."

"No it does not Princess, you will have plenty of gallant knights to heed your every call in Storm's End and on Dragonstone."

"They won't nearly be as pretty as you, Ser." Jaime chuckled. She had such innocence and the girl that would return would be full of melancholy, tainted by Stannis and his ways.

"Perhaps not Princess." He knelt to kiss her hand as he bid her farewell.

Before he went to rise she whispered, "Someday I will marry a knight just like you."

She curtsied quickly and ran to the side of Stannis who waited for them to paddle to the ship.

The girl that came and went again returned different. He knew the child that left but he did not know the woman that had returned.

The woman that returned was dangerous, she knew of treachery and she knew of the game. A new player was always unpredictable which always made everyone uneasy, especially Cersei.

Cersei was furious when she found out that he was to be wed to the King's eldest. Her anger grew when Jaime did not respond in the same way that she did. Like always, he was calm and waited at the front of the Sept for a girl he knew and mourned only to be greeted by a woman grown.

He had to admit, she was beautiful, she could even rival Cersei had they not been so different, one was a lion and one was a stag, both respected in their own domain but still entirely different.

He remembered how terrified she made him on their wedding night. He was trembling at the actions of this little fawn. She was confident, much like she had been as a child. Perhaps her early teenage years had merely been a phase. He would show no fear to this girl.

She was as tall as Cersei, but not as slim. She was buxom with wide hips, something he wasn't used to. Cersei had always had a slender but womanly frame and here was a young girl before him, thick and pert.

She said little throughout their consummation, the silence made him uncomfortable. Jaime did not even attempt to jest, she held him with her eyes and did not look away, the intimacy added to his discomfort.

It was what he imagined making love was like. Although he did not love this girl, he did not even know this girl but it was as if she was attempting to read his soul or she was more talented and committed to this game then he first thought.

In that moment he had dreamed that they were in Casterly Rock, free from Cersei and Robert that he was learning to love the woman before just how he had grown to care for her as a girl. But he knew that it was just a fleeting moment and that they were only acting out of duty and obligation.

Only then he knew that he was not returning to King's Landing for Cersei alone, but the duty he had to his wife and his child.

Duty to a woman that he continued to be wary of.

 **a/n: I take no credit for the exert from Beowulf**


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n: I am sooo sorry for the delay in having this posted. I have another 10 chapters or so that have been sitting on my laptop un-edited and un-posted for the last 6 months while I have been travelling. Anyway... I'm not sure if I will see this story to completion yet, BUT, I will post everything that I have over the next few months. Like I said, these are un-edited so there will be mistakes. Enjoy!**

He watched on as his son stirred. He had been waiting for the little monster to awaken. He had to admit, there was something inside that had set his son up to fail, to have him removed in an incident that he could not be directly connected to.

Something out of his control.

"I heard how happy you were. You brought a whore into my bed." He scolded his youngest son like he always had and it seemed there was always an ounce of familiarity in every scolding he gave.

"It wasn't your bed at the time. I sent you here to advise the King. I gave you real power and authority. You chose to spend your days as you always have, bedding harlots and drinking with thieves."

"Occasionally I drank with harlots."

"What do you want Tyrion?" Money? Power? He didn't know what he had left to give to his son.

"Why does everyone assume I want something? Can't I simply visit with my beloved father? My beloved father who somehow forgot to visit his wounded son after he fell on the battlefield."

"Maester Pycelle assured me your wounds were not fatal. Besides, there were other duties that needed attending to."

"I organised the defence of this city while you held court in the ruins of Harrenhal. I led the foray when the enemies were at the gate while your grandson, the King, quivered in fear behind the walls. I bled in the mud for our family. And as my reward, I was trundled off to some dark little cell. But what do I want? A little bloody gratitude would be a start."

"Juggles and singers require applause. You are a Lannister. Do you think I demanded a garland of roses every time I suffered a wound on a battlefield? Hmm? Now, I have seven kingdoms to look after, three of them are in open rebellion and an agitated Princess to keep at court."

He knew of Vesara's hesitance to return to court after she was chased away. He had no doubt that his daughter was involved. Cersei had always been possessive. Possessive over his favour, over Robert, over the children and now over Jaime.

"I want what is mine by right. Jaime is your eldest son, heir to your lands and titles. But he is a Kingsguard, forbidden to inherit. The day Jaime put on the white cloak, he gave up his claim to Casterly Rock. I am your son and lawful heir."

"You want Casterly Rock?" Tywin was amused by the fuss his son was making. He knew this discussion would have to happen one day and no matter how much his son protested he had other plans for the future of House Lannister.

"It is mine by right."

"We'll find you accommodations more suited to your name as a reward for your accomplishments during the battle of Blackwater Bay. And when the time is right, you will be given a position fit for your talents so that you can serve your family and protect our legacy. And if you serve faithfully, you will be rewarded with a suitable wife." Tyrion was silenced by his father's straight response. It didn't surprise him but stating his demands was worth a shot. "And I would let myself be consumed by maggots before mocking the family name in making you heir to Casterly Rock."

"Why?"

"Why? You ask that? You, who killed your mother to come into this world? You are ill-made, spiteful little creature full of envy, lust, and low cunning. Men's laws give you the right to bear my name and display my colours since I cannot prove that you are not mine. And to teach me humility, the gods have condemned me to watch you waddle about wearing that proud lion that was my father's sigil and his father's before him. But neither gods nor men will ever compel me to let you turn Casterly Rock into your whorehouse."

"Bu…"

"You think Jaime being in the Kingsguard has ever been a substantial issue? I gave him a wife and if I cannot give him lands I will name Durrandon my heir in his stead. Do not test me." He raised his brow at Tyrion a final time before returning to what had been occupying his time prior.

"You think one heir will safeguard you. Durrandon is but a babe and without Jaime here in Vesara's bed you are at a loss."

"Do not underestimate me. I will do as I've always done. I will do what my children have fail to do. Go"

From the shock on Tyrion's face Tywin was sure that he had got the point across to his son. If Lannister heirs were needed, there would be Lannister heirs.

And as if on cue his protégé had arrived.

"My lord hand, Princess Vesara has asked if you still wish to have your daily visit with the little lordling, Durrandon." The burly elder Tarly in Vesara's guard had appeared in the Hand's solar.

"Lady Lannister." He corrected.

"Of course, I do apologies my lord, Lady Lannister has asked if you still wish to have daily visit with the little lordling, Durrandon."

He merely nodded in response and as he looked up an unfamiliar smile spread across his face. He could sense the discomfort from both his grandson's Septa and guard. He paid them no mind. It didn't matter what others thought. All that matters was that they were Lannisters and everyone who wasn't them was lesser.

The boy looked at him curiously before returning a faint smile. Durrandon had never inherited his father's smirk, he had instead inherited the brooding Baratheon stare, much like his mother and grandfather. The older the boy got the more of young Robert's features appeared.

It did not matter. He could possess all the features of a Baratheon but at the end of the day he was a Lannister by name and would be by nature as well.

The boy swiftly released the hand of his Septa and waddled behind the desk to greet his grandfather as he had done every day since being in his company. He was growing quickly, just as Jaime and Cersei had at a time where he had many hopes for them and the glory and honour they would bring their house.

All of it was dead now.

And if his son were to refuse to fulfil his duty he would take Vesara as his own, he would make sure that his line would live on just as the Argella Durrandon and Vesara Baratheon by forging with strong houses.

"Today's lesson my boy are alliances. You see, sometimes we have to give up a little of our pride and negotiate with others if we are to survive. Winners always place calculated bets and if we are strategizing and calculating our next moves we will need allies."

x

Murmurings of girls bothered her.

It had never been an event that she had partaken in aside from when she was obliged to at court. The ladies of the stormlands that were brought to treat with her at Storm's End were a bore, much like the ladies of Dragonstone. It didn't help that her aunt Selyse didn't keep the company of ladies either and her uncle didn't care for the company of others in general.

She was already seated before Sansa Stark had arrived to brunch with herself and the Tyrells.

"Lady Sansa, it is my honour to present my grandmother the Lady Olenna of House Tyrell." The girl look terrified, a change in tune from when she first arrived at King's Landing with dreams of marrying Joffrey and becoming queen.

"Kiss me, child. It's so good of you to visit me and my foolish flock of hens." Vesara shot her a sharp look, never in her position had she been referred to as foolish and certainly not to her face. "We're very sorry for your losses."

"And I was sorry when I heard of Lord Renly's death, Lady Margaery." She certainly did not appreciate discussion of her uncle's death either. She was afraid that others would see through her fake distain of the man she had grown up alongside. "He was very gallant."

Vesara stifled back a smirk. Renly was many things, gallant was hardly one of them. She recalled many times when they were forced into an old farm house a fifteen or so leagues north of Griffin's Roost as part of Stannis' paranoia and how terrified Renly was about the whole experience.

"Gallant, yes." Margaery responded with a polite smile before her grandmother interrupted. From what it appeared it was hardly a term that Margaery would describe him as either.

"And charming and very clean. He knew how to dress and smile and somehow this gave him the notion he was fit to be king." The queen of thorns hardly approved of Renly, she hardly approved of anyone.

"Renly was brave and gentle, Grandmother. Father liked him and so did Loras."

"Loras is young and very good at knocking men off horses with a stick. That does not make him wise. As for your fathead father—"

"Grandmother! What will Sansa think of us? Let alone Princess Vesara. They might think we have some wits about us."

Sansa politely bowed her head.

"I pay it no mind Lady Margaery, I know of family with wild tongues. And not to speak of ill of the dead but I am also familiar with fathead fathers." She played to the jesting of the old woman much to Lady Olenna's dismay.

"Well yes, wild tongues are certainly familiar to you one thing we can be grateful for is that yourself and Renly inherited some of your grandfathers qualities… unfortunately Renly missed out on the knowing his place part. Robert has two sons and Renly has an older brother. How could he possibly have any claim to that ugly iron chair? We should have stayed well out of all this if you ask me.. but once the cow's been milked, there's no squirting the cream back up her udders, so we are here to see things through."

Perhaps the murmurings of the queen of thorns would be enough entertain her enough to put up with the hens.

"What do you say to that, Sansa? Shall we leave this ugly talk of seasoned courtiers at rest and have some lemon cakes?"

Olenna raised her left brow at Vesara which from what she had observed meant that she was about to venture into dangerous territory.

"Now I want you two to tell me the truth about this royal boy, this Joffrey." Vesara was taken aback by the old woman's bluntness in asking such a question out in the open. "Who else would know better? We've heard some troubling tales." The silence was beginning to make the woman raise her voice in desperation directing her attention to Sansa, "Is there any truth to them? Has this boy mistreated you? Has he ripped out your tongue?"

Vesara noticed that the red headed girl was beginning to shake.

"Joff… King Joffrey, he… his grace is very fair and handsome and as a brave as a lion."

"Yes, all Lannisters are lions. And when a Tyrell farts, it smells like a rose… "

Margaery interrupted. "…but how kind is he? How clever? Has he a good heart, a gentle hand? I'm to be his wife. I only want to know what that means."

Vesara groaned internally.

"We're only women here. Tell us the truth. No harm will come to you." Olenna fired a fierce look at Vesara.

If they insisted on discussing what a repugnant person her brother was she didn't know why she was invited to such a forum.

"My brother is a special kind. Merely the product of a rancorous, wealthy mother and a father who had zero regard for anything that does not satiate any of his yearnings. Unbridled power does disagreeable things to people." Vesara was careful in how she stated things, she merely wanted to encourage Sansa to say something to have these women leave her be.

"My father always told the truth."

"Yes, he had that reputation."

"And they named him a traitor and took his head. Joffrey. Joffrey did that. He promised he would be merciful and he cut my father's head off. And he said that was mercy. Then he took me up on the walls and made me look it."

"Lannisters know no meaning of mercy." Olenna noticed an apparent sadness that lingered in Vesara's eyes briefly.

"I never meant… my father was traitor. My brother as well. I have traitor's blood…" Sansa was shaking even more than she had been throughout the entire discussion.

"She's terrified Grandmother, just look at her." Margaery clearly sought to cut her grandmother's pestering.

"…what does that make me Lady Sansa? Both of my uncles have attempted open rebellion against the crown. My father's crown. My brother's crown. Treachery is not genetic Sansa. If we were to be guilty of the crimes of our kin no one would be free from sin."

"He's a monster." She whispered.

"Ah. That's a pity."

"Please, don't stop the wedding."

"Have no fear. The Lord Oaf of Highgarden is determined that Margaery shall be queen. Even so, we thank you for the truth."

Vesara noticed the efforts that Olenna and Margarey went to show kindness to Sansa, something that she thought she should perhaps attempt to do as well. She knows what it is like to be lonely at court, to be an outsider pretending to be an insider.

She wondered what it was about the two other than the fact that they were out to gain power much like everyone else in the realm.

They didn't know what they were really getting themselves into. The real curse that power and family ties were. So much so that she had considered not returning to Westeros at all, but she couldn't do it, despite as much as she wanted to. If she had stayed the odds of safety for her boys and she would have increased tenfold.

She didn't know the true reason that she chose to return; only the ones that she told herself repeatedly.

She owed it to the Baratheon legacy. She owed it to her father, her grandfather. They would never have run.

They would never cower from a fight and neither would she.

"And what were we trying to prove with that little display my ladies?" Vesara asked. It came out more bluntly then she had intended.

"We did not mean to offend Princess." Margaery quickly stated. She knew it was a means to block anything that may come from her grandmother's mouth.

"Rumours dear. As I am sure that you are no stranger to. We merely wished to hear first-hand whether rumours of your younger half-brother, nephew…" she paused as if she were about to continue her list, "…were true and well, you did not come to his defence."

It was true. Vesara did not even attempt to deny the cruelty of her young brother; she would have been foolish to say anything against him or in support of him.

"We all have our vices Lady Tyrell, my brother included. He may have an aggressive streak that surfaces in slightly questionable means but who are we to tell a king what he can and can't do. I, my lady, his good hand, Lord Tywin Lannister and I are nought but his vessels." Vesara could have sworn that she saw the old woman choke on her tea slightly.

"Like unbroken horses in need of the right rider. Lord Stark's death was merely a case of an incongruous rider taking the saddle."

Clearly Vesara's observations were a shock to the old woman who simply widened her eyes and tightened her thin lips.

"Lord Tywin has seemed rather distracted as of late, definitely different to the man of his youth. Perhaps there are new challenges that may impede his ability to bridle this horse."

"I assure you my lady, nothing distracts the old lion… he is just as sharp as he was in his youth."

Vesara had wondered if she was pushing things too far with emphasising her admiration for Tywin Lannister, all she needed was enough to prove that she was loyal to a particular cause, even if it happened to be a Lannister cause.

"You should be honoured he is so taken with his grandchild, I can not say I have seen nor heard that he has bestowed such favour with the rest of his grandchildren. Tell me Princess, what makes your son so special?"

She was surprised by the woman's question and her intentions.

"There is nothing that makes my son any different from the rest of the Lannister grandchildren my lady. If there is, perhaps I am missing something."

She had heard what many of them whispered and the murmurs only became louder and louder the longer Jaime had been gone. They spoke of Tywin's inaction to get his son back from the Stark confines and then to find him somewhere between the Stark camp and King's Landing. They spoke of Tywin no longer needing a son who had failed him when he could start again with his grandson.

From what it appeared, that was exactly what he was doing.


	7. Chapter 7

"I'll take the big bitch first. When she's good and wet, you lot can finish her off."

"My lord, I am Brienne of Tarth. Lady Catelyn Stark commanded me to deliver Ser Jaime to King's Landing."

"Catelyn Stark's a treasonous cunt."

"Orders were to take the Kingslayer alive."

"Nobody said shit about you."

"You're only making it worse." Jaime exclaimed. These men were all monsters, he knew how they liked to enjoy the spoils of war, he had seen it in his own camps time after time. "Lord Selwyn would pay his daughter's weight in sapphires if she's returned to him. But only if she's alive, her honour unbesmirched."

"Unbesmirched."

"Not defiled." He plainly responded.

"Fancy word for a fancy man."

"I hated to read as a child, but my father forced me to study the books every morning before I could practice with sword or horse. Two hours every day holed up in the maester's chambers. I learned a lot of fancy words."

"I bet you did. What fancy tricks do you think your father teaches that delectably fuckable princess of yours while she's held up in his chambers?" He began to cackle as Jaime's jaw tightened. He and Vesara may have not been the best of friends but he would not have her honour or loyalty to him questioned.

"Still, your father, he'd pay your weight in gold to get you back?"

"You'll be a rich man till the end of your days. And your sons will be rich men and their sons after them. Lands, titles, you'll have them all. The North can't win this war. You're a smart man. You understand that. We have the numbers. We have the gold… Fighting bravely for a losing cause is admirable. Fighting for a winning cause is far more rewarding. Now that we're speaking together man to man, I wonder if you need to keep me chained to this tree. I'm not asking to be freed from my constraints, but if I could sleep lying down, my back would thank you for it. I'm not as young and resilient as I was once."

Admittedly, he was surprised that he had managed to wrangle himself free from his chains. He had felt the odds were in his favour until her was forced down upon the stump of a freshly milled tree.

"You think you're the smartest man there is. That everyone alive has to bow and scrape and lick your boots… and if you get in any trouble, all you've got to do is say 'my father' and that's it, all your troubles are gone."

"Don't…" Jaime began to plead as the realisation as to what was about to happen dawned on him.

"Have you got something to say? Careful. You don't want to say the wrong thing. I'll tell you what though… when I fuck your wife I won't stifle her screams as she calls for her maimed husband to come to her aid, I'll let you listen as her screams turn into moans while your boy watches as I defile his mother over and over again until I put a bastard in her belly. A bastard I'll name Jaime, in honour of the man that brought us all together."

Jaime went to interrupt before his face was forced further into the dirt next to the tree stump.

"You're nothing without your daddy, and your daddy ain't here. Never forget that."

Anger and fear struck him as he saw the blade hover above him momentarily.

 _The darkness was warm. Warmer than he had expected death. That was what he felt like anyway._

 _In this world he was whole. He could feel both his hands moving although he still couldn't see anything. He moved his feet carefully in the hopes that somewhere in the darkness he would find some light or some indication of where he was._

 _The more he moved he closer he felt he was coming to the warmth._

 _"_ _It's too soon for you to greet my here my beautiful cub." The voice was almost musical and eerily familiar to him._

 _"_ _I count every day I go without holding you and the more days I count the happier I become. In this place, the longer, the better."_

 _The voice was getting louder and he was becoming more and more desperate to find its source. He could have sworn that he could see a faint outline of a thin figure in the distance._

 _As he got closer he saw the hidden figure staring at something. From her profile he saw he move ever so slightly to peer at him from beneath her crimson hood. As she moved a portion of her golden hair was set free from its confines beneath her hood._

 _She shuffled to face him straight on. There were many familiar features about her, for a moment he thought he had mistaken her for his twin. "Who are you? Where are we? Is this a dream or am I dead?"_

 _"_ _Neither."_

 _He was face to face with her now, the woman he barely remembered, the woman he was scared would disappear if he reached out to touch her._

 _"_ _I've missed you so much." The sound of his own whimpering in his chest sore._

 _"_ _And I you." There was a sadness in her voice. "But you cannot stay here."_

 _"_ _Our family needs you to return, there is much to be done my golden cub, you have much to achieve, so much more of life to enjoy." Now he began to feel ill all over._

 _"_ _I'm afraid life isn't as enjoyable as you may have dreamed."_

 _"_ _My son the knight. My daughter the queen. And my grandchildren…, my husband…" she paused, he wasn't sure if there was sadness in her smile or whether she was holding back something that pained her. "He had loved me from the moment he met me. It was all so simple. The only thing in our lives that we knew was simple, our love for one another."_

 _He couldn't say that he remembered much of his parent's relationship he only recalled how much softer his father was in her presence. He had hoped that faint echoes of that person still existed._

 _"_ _Nothing is simple."_

 _"_ _Everything is only as complicated as we make. But love, loving someone should never be difficult, it should be natural."_

 _Natural._

 _Unlike his love for Cersei._

 _"_ _How did you move past everything he had ever done?"_

 _"_ _I was conflicted by the ugliness, how gruesome some of his methods were. What kept bringing me back was the remorse he felt for those deeds, that he admitted when he was wrong… that he wasn't a monster, that he would do all that he could to keep me safe. That he would try for us, that he would try for our family."_

 _He knew that he was conflicted as well. Cersei was his family. Vesara was his family but he did not love them the same. He knew he could grow to love Vesara but only if he was willing to give up his love for Cersei. He didn't know if he could do that._

 _Not for his son._

 _Not for anyone._

 _"_ _I'm not my father."_

 _"_ _No you're not. You're Jaime. You're whoever you decide that is. Do not let others decide for you, we are Lannisters and we get to make the rules."_

 _She grabbed the sides of his face and brought his forehead down to her lips gently. He felt the coolness of her skin, he was somewhat surprised, he remembered her as a warm woman._

 _He wondered when Cersei lost her warmth._

 _Or if she had ever been warm._

She knew she would have to face her at some point. She was only grateful that their reunion took a significant amount of time to occur.

Court was busy revelling in their new found safety after the Battle of Blackwater Bay which gave less opportunities for compulsory functions that required her to face off with her good sister.

"Princess Vesara!" Cersei exclaimed in an all too familiar tone to Vesara, it was both pleasant and menacing, always followed by a courteously smile. Or perhaps it was a snarl, Vesara couldn't quite tell the difference anymore. "How blessed we are to have you return to us. We feared the worst when you and my nephew did not return from your sail."

Sailing.

That was what Cersei had told everyone that they had been doing when she 'disappeared'. Vesara hadn't sailed in a long time but she did have to credit Cersei for the somewhat believable lie. Vesara had known to sail on occasion, that was until her father had banned her from the activity in King's Landing. He would tell her that the small fragments of salty Dornishman blood that she had was to remain in the South, in King's Landing she was to be a perfect little doe.

Sailing at night however was not something that Vesara was well versed at but it seemed that few people had the courage to attempt to catch a queen out in a lie.

"We all do strange things in times of grief. Losing a parent is not something I would wish on anybody, but you… you my dear have lost both. You are practically an orphan." She narrowed her eyes and smiled before finishing her glass of wine. "No matter, you are essentially a daughter to me, just as you are a sister to my children. And an aunt I suppose."

Vesara continued picking at the grapes in front of her viciously tearing each grape from its stalk as distraction. She had always tried to give Cersei minimal responses to any comments that she made, she felt it gave the woman less ammunition for further attacks.

"And I am grateful to be considered part of your family my lady…" she was cut off by the echoing of footsteps that were getting louder as Joffrey came into sight, sashaying his elaborate crimson and gold cloak with a golden lion and stag emblazoned on its clasps around his chest.

"Ignore my mother dear sister. She has grown bitter." He took his sister's heavily jewelled cladded hand in his before placing a kiss on it. "She mourns the loss of her husband and the capture of your lord husband, it's all too much from her. Typical of women." He chuckled to himself before beginning to break his fast.

Cersei stiffened as she noticed Joffrey's actions.

"My that is an exquisite garnet ring. It is it new?" From the look on Cersei's face Vesara knew that the regent was well aware of its origins.

"It was a gift."

Vesara held her ring up admiring it with Joffrey only shrugging after viewing it briefly. There were two intricately etched lions rampant flanking a large red garnet set in gold.

"A very expensive gift. Did Jaime bestow it upon you before his departure?" Again, Cersei knew very well that Jaime had not given her the ring.

"Your lord father actually. A very unnecessary gift, none the less I am very grateful it was lovely thought." Cersei looked as if she was about to burst. They both knew exactly where the ring came from and Cersei had expected it to find its way into her chambers every name day since the time that she married Robert and yet it never came.

"It was my mother's favourite ring and he had the sense to give it to you. What place does a Baratheon have in claiming my mother's finest jewels? What else has he given you lady Vesara? What have you done to gain his favour as such? Opened your…"

"Enough!" Joffrey bellowed. "Leave us mother, I do not wish to hear and look upon your jealousy. The king deserves more than to behold such an ugly sight. Out. Let me break my fast with my dear sister and guest without your disruptions."

Vesara took more pleasure than she should have out of Cersei's outrage for her new gift. She had known that it would set her off she just expected that she would have waited until it was just the two of them rather than displaying such anger and jealousy in front of Joffrey or anyone for that matter.

"How dare she speak of my grandfather and yourself in such a tone. She has no respect for me or for my rule. Someone needs to put my mother back in her place." She was wary about what her brother had planned. She had kept her distance from him since they had left Winterfell and he had displayed the type of man that he was becoming.

Cruel and ruthless.

She had to admit, from a young age he showed some sociopathic tendencies. His mother had always masked as ferocity and their father didn't care but now there was no limit to what he could and couldn't do. Vesara knew that one day that would be the case. That was her primary reason for keeping him at arm's length.

"And how to you propose keeping a lioness at bay dear brother?"

"We take away something that she cares about."

"The list of things that your mother cares about is rather short." He lifted his chin and peered down at her past his chin before swinging forward to whisper in her ear. His hand was cold against her face as he used it to brush her long dark locks behind her ears.

"The regency." His voice was breathy.

"Grandfather did not speak against it. Mother will be furious. And you sister, you shall have the respect that you deserve after your husband shamed our family in his capture." As much as Vesara revelled in the idea of how livid Cersei would become she couldn't bring herself to whole heartedly believe that this was a good idea.

"Joff…" He grabbed her wrist tightly yanking her towards him.

He could sense that she was about to refuse.

"We shall make a formidable team, you and I. We shall remind my mother that we are the children of Robert Baratheon, the demon of the Trident. The people will cower in fear when they hear our names, they shall sit at our feet and sing our praises." His hiss was finished with a Cersei-like sneer.

"Very well brother. I am at your service."

 **a/n: Sorry this chapter was a bit of a 'filler' chapter. Hope you enjoyed it regardless. Until next time...**


End file.
